WATERCOLORIST ROBERT KARR Chair , River Arts Alliance
509.671.1539
Peone Creek Pottery amy wharf , potter
The Rise and Fall of the Monarchical Art Critic
on display year-round at Pottery Place Plus , 203 N Washington , Spokane
WATERCOLORIST ROBERT KARR Chair , River Arts Alliance
509.671.1539
Melville holmes
Ascene in the 1981 Mel Brooks comedy , History of the World : Part 1 , shows five cavemen eagerly watching the progress of the picture of a prehistoric horse on the cave wall , as another caveman , played by Sid Caesar , adds its finishing touches . Narrator Orson Welles explains , “ Even in most primitive man the need to create was part of his nature . This need , this talent , clearly separated early man from animals , who would never know this gift . And here in a cave , somewhere in the North American continent ... the first artist was born .” With a few bold strokes , as his companions look on in delighted wonder , it is finished . The resonant voice of Welles continues , “ And of course , with the birth of the artist , came the inevitable afterbirth : the Critic .” While the artist exults in his creation , his attention is drawn to a bearded stranger who has just entered the cave . The critic fixes a steely gaze upon the picture and a severe frown crosses his face before the sound of an opening zipper is heard and a narrow stream of liquid bathes the new work of art . The artist is crestfallen , as triumph yields to humiliation . The scene ends as the deflated artist ’ s friends offer gestures of comfort and disdain for the critic as they turn to walk away .
This funny film sequence contrasts the stereotype of the aloof and imperious real-world art critic -- who by force of personal presence and a way with words can make or break an artist ’ s reputation -- with the common man , the art world outsider who says , “ I don ’ t know anything about art , but I know what I like ,” exemplified by the cave artist ’ s friends .
Critics , of course , are only part of the overall art world , which includes art dealers , auction house specialists , art historians , museum directors and curators , art conservators , and art educators . It also includes artists , but here we face another divide because there is very definitely an “ inside ” and an “ outside ” to this art world . There are types of art that are very definitely “ out .” Thomas Kinkade , best known for his hugely popular renditions of light-filled cottages set in an idyllic mountain landscape or by the seaside with a lighthouse , is a prime example . In the critical establishment his work has been universally hated . A survey of online critical reactions after his unexpected death at age 54 in 2012 offers a litany of derogatory descriptors : saccharine , sentimental , heavy-handed , mediocre , artificial , bad , kitsch , worthless schmaltz , representational , hokey , formulaic , nostalgic , trite and uninteresting . On the other side , a blog post on a site at artpromotivate . com attempts to answer the question , “ What is it about Thomas Kinkade ’ s paintings that so many people like and made him so popular ?” A survey of some forum comments lists four common factors that drew people to his work : comforting , makes a personal connection , idyllic , family-safe . The disconnect between “ inside ” and “ outside ” could scarcely be more stark .
38 ART CHOWDER MAGAZINE